Future
by altenprano
Summary: Following the birth of their first child, Anna and John discuss their future.


**A/N: So I wrote this in July for the July Fanfiction Bonanza, which I halfway completed, so I'll be posting stuff as oneshots as I recover it from the depths of my computer files :) **

**This was the prompt "future," so I wrote about what everyone wants to see: Anna and Bates with kids (or a kid). **

**Disclaimer: Don't own Downton **

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><p>She couldn't believe it—she just couldn't.<p>

Even now, with the child sleeping peacefully in her arms, Anna couldn't believe that it was actually happening.

It had to be a dream, a really good dream. She and Mr. Bates, though they still retained some hint of faith, had long ago come to terms with the fact that she would never bear his child—_their_ child—and had left it at that. They'd known better than to get their hopes up, and that just letting it be was best for the both of them.

She hadn't believed it when Dr. Clarkson had confirmed the tentatively-constructed hope that she might finally be with child, and she remembered that Mr. Bates had hardly believed her when she'd told him that night, after His Lordship and Lady Mary had been seen to. She recalled how surprised he'd seemed, but she'd also seen the pride in his eyes, pride he had every right to feel, especially after a childless marriage with Vera, and five years of the same problem with his second marriage. No doubt he blamed himself, but Anna suspected that Vera had taken measures to avoid having a child, especially in a relationship as loveless as hers with Mr. Bates had been.

The pregnancy, it seemed, had been the easy part. Reluctantly, Anna'd allowed Mrs. Hughes and Mrs. Baxter to share her duties as a lady's maid, restricting herself to mending any garments she could get her hands on, as well as helping Mrs. Hughes with her ledgers and lodging arrangements. Anything to keep Thomas or Jimmy from complaining about her being "a burden," really. Mr. Carson didn't comment on her waxing stomach, as scandalous as he must've thought it to have a pregnant lady's maid as long as she kept out of sight when there were guests (which was rarely), which was something she knew to do anyways.

Both she and Mr. Bates had decided that it would be best if she moved back to Downton as she neared the end of her pregnancy, so if she went into labor, there would be people other than Mr. Bates (who, despite being a man of many talents, Anna suspected, did not know how to deliver a baby) to help her. Mrs. Hughes had agreed, and it hadn't taken much to arrange for Anna to occupy her old room once more, and Anna knew the housekeeper would take advantage of being able to keep a constant eye on the young woman that- at least in Mrs. Hughes's eyes— she had come to see as a daughter.

There was a soft knock on the door, rousing Anna from the temporary haze that seemed to settle over her fatigued mind.

"Come in," she said quietly, so as not to wake her child, who was only a few days old, too young to understand the world entirely, but young enough to be easily woken.

The door opened, its creaking barely audible, and perhaps it was silent, but Anna had spent many years in this room—she knew what the door opening sounded like. She heard the soft footsteps and cautious tap of her husband's cane on the floor, and immediately moved a little to the side, her body, which was still recovering from her being in labor, protesting.

Mr. Bates came and sat beside her on the bed, his expression indecipherable in the near darkness of her room, but Anna knew that he was smiling. And why wouldn't he? She'd borne his child, a lovely baby girl who had her mother's eyes and her father's dark hair and nonchalant disposition (so far, anyway). He had every right to be proud, and after everything they'd endured together, they were finally beginning to get the happy ending they deserved, weren't they?

"You don't need to come check on me every hour, you know," Anna said, easing herself into a sort of sitting position, her baby girl cradled more firmly in her arms.

"I'm sorry if I'm bothering you, but—"

"You're nervous, I know." A drowsy smile graced her lips, and she reached for her husband's hand as he took a seat on her bed. "You heard what Dr. Clarkson said: everything's normal, no obvious complications, and our child is perfectly healthy."

She could understand some of his worry. Too many pregnancies under Downton's roof had ended in some sort of tragedy or another. Her Ladyship's miscarriage, Lady Sybil's death, Mr. Matthew's motor accident after the birth of Master George, and the general misfortune that had accompanied Ethel Parks after the birth of her son. Perhaps he thought it to be some sort of curse cast over the place, though she doubted it. She didn't think of Mr. Bates as being superstitious, no, not him. He was more practical than that, and if anyone among the staff was superstitious, it would be either Mrs. Patmore or Daisy.

"She's so lovely," he said, reaching to take the child from her. "Just like her mother."

Anna felt heat rise in her cheeks at Mr. Bates's compliment. "Well then we'll have to hope she is as clever as her father, won't we? Or will she be too much trouble?" she teased as she let Mr. Bates hold her child, hoping that she wouldn't wake up and cause a fuss.

"I would hope not." His eyes shone with a tenderness that Anna had only seen directed at her before, not at someone or something else, as he held the sleeping child. "We can't refer to her as "her" forever, can we?"

A smile spread across her lips. "I was thinking about calling her Margaret—Maggie for short, or Meg, whatever you think fits best. What do you think?"

"You wanted to name her "Mary," didn't you?"

"It wasn't the first thought in my mind, though…I suppose I can see where you're coming from with that."

"Maggie Bates," he said, testing the sound of the name. "I think it's wonderful. Do you have any middle names in mind?"

"I haven't gotten that far yet, Mr. Bates," Anna replied. "She was born only four days ago, at least give me some time."

"All the time you need, darling," he said, leaning over to kiss her tenderly on the cheek. "All the time you need."

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><p><strong>AN: Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it. It's nice to write fluff, especially when Anna and Bates get nice things...**

**Drop a review if you have a moment, because it means the world. **

**Thanks~**


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